<h1>Service Tax Exemption Announced for Rice Handling and Cord Blood Bank Services in Interim Budget 2014-15.</h1> The Finance Minister announced the exemption of service tax on loading, unloading, packing, storage, and warehousing of rice, aligning it with the existing exemption for paddy. This change addresses the previous distinction between rice and paddy under the Finance Act, 2012. Additionally, services provided by cord blood banks have been classified as healthcare services and are now exempt from service tax. These changes were part of the Interim Budget 2014-15 and notifications regarding these exemptions were to be issued immediately.